Like most women can understand, I grew up in a male-powered and generated society. Our existence on this earth, in this country, has been engineered by men. They get paid more, are not shamed of their bodies (or freely expressing the bodies they are comfortable and confident in), and are often held to the standard that they are “better” than women (academically, athletically, etc.).
From a young age, I never quite understood why being a man seemed “easier.” Now, before anyone comes at me with a pitchfork, I would like to say that I realize men do work hard for their accomplishments and they should take pride in said successes. But frankly, from early on in life, I understood that more often than not, men were the bread winners, held the power in the household and the work force, and were often paid more, promoted more and hired more than most women. Heck, 44 men later and we haven’t even had a female president, yet.
On the contrary, unlike most women, I attended an all-girls private high school where gender inequality was often expressed and spoken about freely. My high school demonstrated to me that although women had made enormous strides, we still have a long way to go. My teachers stressed the importance of an education rather than a marriage, the necessity of being able to provide for oneself rather than relying on a man to do it. It further ignited the fire burning inside of me.
Why did it seem easier to be a man in our society than a woman?
Many women shy away from the term feminist because society often portrays it in a negative light. Feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. Sadly, it is often equated to no shaving, man hating, loud-mouthed women who would rather see a woman-driven society rather than an equal one. While those types of feminists do exist, I would like to state that not all feminists feel that way.
I, like many woman, had been shamed into disaffiliating myself with the term feminist based on society’s negative portrayal of the term. But recently, I can proudly proclaim that I am a feminist. A woman who strongly believes in the equal rights of both male and female on the grounds of political, social and economic issues. A woman who believes that men and women should be equal, no matter the past. I am not a man hater. I am not willing to shove my beliefs down everyone else’s throats. I am, however, willing to fight for equality in the work place as well as the household. To me, that is feminism. That is a woman of strength.
Many may wonder why I would ever affiliate myself with such a negatively equated word. Well, here’s the truth: I am a feminist for every woman who is told she was “asking for it” by the way she talked or dressed. I am a feminist for every woman who was afraid to say no, or to speak her mind freely. I’m a feminist because of the girls in developing countries who are refused schooling. I’m a feminist for every woman beaten, assaulted or abused by a man. I am a feminist for the women who are forced to do things against their own will. I am a feminist for every woman who is told and believes that she is not “good enough” for a man. I am a feminist for every woman who was ever told she could not do or be something because she is a female. I am a feminist for every time a woman is told (jokingly, or not) to “get back in the kitchen.” But most importantly, I am a feminist for every woman who has suffered and gone before me in the fight for gender equality. I am a feminist because I can be one; I am a feminist for all the women who are unable to do so in fear of being beaten or killed.
It’s time to stop tearing each other down and start lifting each other up. It shouldn’t be about the gender, but rather the individual.
It's 2015, people and yet there is still a glass ceiling. Whether we like to admit it or ignore it, it exists. But glass, my friends, is fragile. It can break, shatter and ricochet into a million pieces without ever having the possibility of being restored to its original shape. I think it’s time for us to look past the idea of a woman being any form of lesser. Let’s look past the idea of a woman being elevated or promoted, but only to a certain level or degree. Because, I promise, there are other women like me and eventually that glass ceiling will be shattered, with or without society’s support.
